Hannibal Tavares

Tavares was born in Makawao, Maui, Hawaii,^[3] on September 24, 1919.

In 1978, Maui Mayor Elmer Cravalho won reelection to a second term,^[4] but he suddenly left office only months later.^[4] The vacancy left by Cravalho's resignation necessitated a special mayoral election.^[4] In October 1979, Hannibal Tavares won the special mayoral election to complete the remainder of Cravalho's term.^[4]

Tavares went on to win reelection and became Maui's longest-serving mayor to date.^[4] He retired from office on January 2, 1991, and was succeeded by Republican Linda Lingle.^[4]

Tavares's daughter, Charmaine Tavares, served as mayor of Maui from January 2, 2007, to January 2, 2011.^[5][6] Both are the descendants of Portuguese immigrants who settled in Hawaii.^[6]

He died at Maui Memorial Hospital in Wailuku, Hawaii, on January 17, 1998, at the age of 78.^[3] A resident of Kula, Maui, Tavares was survived by his wife, Harriet Y.T; three children, Charmaine Tavares, Sharon Klaschka, and Gary Tavares; three sisters, Helen Medeiros, Margaret Roberts and Sophie Stone; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.^[3]